‘A man of few words, our Hirtshal,’ Rackamore said, narrowing an eye at us. ‘But always honest ones. I’d rather have an honest and reliable man, if a taciturn one, than someone I can’t depend on.’

‘Cazaray says we’ll be running out the sail soon,’ I offered.

‘Yes.’ Hirtshal gave a nod.

‘And when would that be?’ Adrana asked.

He made a face, as if just squeezing out another word cost him a tremendous and painful effort, like he was passing a stone.

‘Tomorrow.’

‘Can we see it happening?’ Adrana asked.

Hirtshal thought about this for so long I was starting to think this was all a big joke on the two of us.

‘Yes.’

‘You should see the sails run out,’ Rackamore said, opening the cage to extract a fistful of fruit. ‘It’s an important moment in any expedition, and it’ll give you a better idea of how the ship functions.’

‘Once we’re trimmed,’ Cazaray said, ‘I’m planning to show them the bone room.’

‘Will you bridge them up?’

Cazaray skewered meat from one of the lidded tureens. There was no cutlery, just skewers. ‘I don’t see why not.’

‘Good. Little sense in delaying the inevitable.’

After a moment Cazaray said: ‘They know about Garval.’

Rackamore cocked an eye. ‘Do they, now.’

‘I . . . might have preferred a little more time to prepare them.’

‘So might we all.’ Rackamore bit into a piece of fruit. ‘Did you tell them that she came to us under false pretences?’

‘I did, yes.’

‘That we ran the tests that we were able, and still she kept her true nature from us?’

‘They understand the fault was hers, not ours.’

‘Then that’s an end to it.’ Rackamore chewed thoughtfully. ‘Garval isn’t a secret and we’ve no reason to be ashamed of her – or for Adrana and Arafura to worry that they’ll end up the same way.’

‘May I ask something, Captain?’ I said.

He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. ‘Most certainly.’

‘Garval seems quite ill. I know she’s from – what was the name of the place, Cazaray?’

He drew the skewer from his mouth, speaking with his lips nearly sealed. ‘Prevomar.’

‘Prevomar,’ I repeated. ‘Well, I hadn’t heard of it. But Mazarile has hospitals and hospices, and I know we can treat diseases of the mind.’

‘Maybe not this disease,’ Rackamore countered.

‘All the same, are they any better equipped on Prevomar? I just wonder why you didn’t set her off the ship while you were docked at Hadramaw. I mean, with the launch. You could have brought her down in that, couldn’t you?’

Spelled out like that, I suppose it was a bit insolent of me, questioning him that way. I knew it and so did Rackamore.

But I’d had to ask.